ABSTRACT
There appears to be little information on the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal association with salt marsh plants, however. In a waterlogged pioneer zone, Brown and Bledsoe (1996) found that mycorrhizal colonization of Jaumea carnosa roots was significantly reduced at a higher elevation than in the channels or marine sites, but that the degree of colonization was not related to redox potential. The degree of root colonization appeared to be related to the higher levels of nitrogen in the sediments of the channels and creeks, however, in which faunal activity increased sediment aeration and plant litter decomposition. In agricultural soils, Juniper and Abbott (1993) found that soil salinity reduces the germination of arbuscular mycorrhizal spores and reduces hyphal growth, but there is no reason to suspect that this will not be the case in salt marsh ecosystems.
